Transducer Upgrade worth it?

[cocopuff]

Hey all just ordered the helix 5 si because of the great reviews people gave it on here. My question is should I upgrade included transducer to the hd version for $85 trade in program, or will the difference be negligible on the 5" screen? Would love to hear some input from people running the helix si especially if they are satisfied with the included transducer.

 

[onthewater102]

You need to look into which frequencies the headunit can operate with. I know with the 798 series even though they were labeled HDSI they could not interpret the 800khz signals and therefore did not make use of the HDSI features even though they could work with the HDSI transducer (because it also used the 455khz standard side imaging frequencies.)

As the new Helix line seems to be a replacement of the old 5 and 7 series units I'd wager a guess that they too are watered down in terms of their imaging processing.

 

[onthewater102]

Nevermind,I was able to find it quickly here:

https://www.humminbird.com/Products/HELIX-5-SI-GPS/

The Helix only uses the 455khz side imaging sonar frequency - only upgrade if you're considering using a different headunit at some point that will make use of the HD frequency.

Don't rely on anecdotes & personal experience - there is no way the performance could be different due to the transducer.

 

[cocopuff]

Yeah the helix can only do the 455khz, wouldn't be able to use the 800 ever. However some of the threads I've found on other forums suggest the crystals are longer in the hd transducer so produce a thinner si pulse and sharper images @ 455 khz. Just wasn't sure if this difference would be apparent on the helix's screen since it is a smaller size.

"The Helix cannot utilize the 800kHz frequency capability of the XHS 9 HDSI 180 T ...but the longer SI piezoes will garner somewhat better SI/DI images (in the 455kHz frequency) ...simply because longer piezoes create a thinner beam which renders better detail"

Here's a thread about it https://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=8117.0

This being my first color fishfinder I probably wouldn't notice a difference anyways though, I'll just save my money for a bow fishfinder.

 

[golfrnut]

What you are saying is all true. You cannot use the 800 freq, but the 455 freq that you can use will produce a better picture. Whether you think it's worth the money for upgrade will be up to you. I have a Helix unit as well, but not the upgraded xmitter, so can't speak for how much of a difference it is.